Difference between revisions of "Much Ado about Nothing"
| Line 14: | Line 14: | ||
First produced in South Africa by ** in 18**. | First produced in South Africa by ** in 18**. | ||
| − | + | 1864: A reading of the play performed by [[Thomas Brazier]], as one of his series of [[Dramatic Readings]] held every alternate Monday in the Cape Town [[City Hall]] between 4 July and 7 November. (Other plays in the series of seven works read were Knowles's ''[[The Hunchback]]'', Bulwer-Lytton's ''[[The Lady of Lyons]]'' and five plays by Shakespeare: ''[[Hamlet]]'', ''[[The Merchant of Venice]]'', ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'' and ''[[King John]]''.) | |
Revision as of 05:03, 13 April 2020
Much Ado about Nothing is a comedy by William Shakespeare. ***
Contents
The original text
Translations and adaptations
Translated into Afrikaans as Bohaai oor Boggerol by Martelize Kolver in 2004. Performed in the same year, the text is unpublished.
Performance history in South Africa
First produced in South Africa by ** in 18**.
1864: A reading of the play performed by Thomas Brazier, as one of his series of Dramatic Readings held every alternate Monday in the Cape Town City Hall between 4 July and 7 November. (Other plays in the series of seven works read were Knowles's The Hunchback, Bulwer-Lytton's The Lady of Lyons and five plays by Shakespeare: Hamlet, The Merchant of Venice, Romeo and Juliet and King John.)
1898: The Haviland and Lawrence Shakespearian & Dramatic Company presented William Shakespeare's comedy, Much Ado About Nothing, at the Port Elizabeth Opera House on January 3 & 4, 1898. Directed by William Haviland. Starring William Haviland and Amy Coleridge, supported by Gerald Lawrence.
1938: Presented by the Repertory Theatre Society, later known as the Cape Town Repertory Theatre Society, opening on 21 December 1938 at the Little Theatre for the University of Cape Town, directed by Archibald Wilson.
1951: Performed as the opening production in the new Johannesburg REPS Theatre ( 7th November), directed by Gwen ffrangçon-Davies and starring Margaret Inglis, Jack Ralphs, Vuivienne Drummond, Richard Kissack, David Lander and Richard Gray.
1957: Presented b y the University of Cape Town's Speech and Drama Department in April at the Little Theatre.directed by Mavis Taylor.
1964: Produced by the Port Elizabeth Shakespearean Festival
1969: Staged in May 1969 by USAT in the Libertas Theatre in Stellenbosch, directed by Bie Engelen, with Johann van Heerden (Don Pedro), Jan Engelen (Don John), Bryan Andrews (Claudio), Tom Henderson (Benedick), Robert Sceales (Leonato), Charles Kitching (Antonio), Tjaart van der Walt (Balthasar & Friar Francis), Oskar Prozesky (Conrade & Messenger), Nick Jourdan (Borachio), John Cartwright (Dogberry), Howard Bradshaw (Verges), Stephen Goodson (Sexton), Douglas Wade (various), Shelley Berger (Hero), Marianne Roux (Beatrice), Laurika Rauch (Margaret) and Hester Ballot (Ursula).
1971: Directed by Francois Swart for PACT, Breytenbach Theatre, Pretoria, 1971, starring Helen Bourne, Ken Leach.
1976: Directed by Pieter Scholtz for the Durban Theatre Workshop Company with Alan Auld, Clive Rodel, Diana Hamilton-Fowle and David Attwell in the cast.
1977: Presented by CAPAB Drama with René Ahrenson and Cecilia Sonnenberg at Maynardville directed by Roy Sargeant opening 14 January. The cast: John Whiteley, Roger Dwyer, Philip Godawa, Michael Atkinson, Dugald Thomson, Willie Esterhuizen, Bill Jervis, Peter Cartwright, Lois Butlin, Helen Bourne, Estelle de Gouveia, Colin Duell, David Crichton, John Maythem, Michael Drin, Peter Krummeck and others. Set designed by Ken Robinson, costumes by Jennifer Craig, lighting by Brian Kennedy. Musical director Michael Tuffin. Choreography by Jennifer Craig.
1990: Performed at the Oude Libertas Theatre, Stellenbosch and Maynardville, Cape Town, directed by Ralph Lawson 1990. Design by Peter Cazalet, lighting by Malcolm Hurrell. Musical arrangement by David Nissen. The cast: Phillip Boucher, Mary Dreyer, Diane Wilson, Neels Coetzee, Bo Petersen, Victoria Bartlett, Rick Everett, David Dennis, Peter Butler, Keith Grenville, André Roothman, Royston Stoffels, Gérard Rudolf, David Nissen, Jonathan Pienaar, Willie Fritz, Jozua van der Lucht, André Samuels.
2004: Performed in Afrikaans as Bohaai oor Boggerol in the H.B. Thom Theatre. The text translated and directed by Martelize Kolver, with students of the Drama Departement, Stellenbosch University.
2005: Performed at Maynardville directed by Fred Abrahamse with Anthea Thompson, Grant Swanby, David Muller, David Johnson, Mbali Kgosidintsi, Matthew Wild, Marcel Meyer and full cast.
2007: Directed by Megan Wilson at the Tesson Theatre, 6-17 March, starring Martin le Maitre, Ashleigh Harvey, Camilla Waldman, Chantal Nativel, Zizana Peteni, Jannes Eiselen, Theo Landey, Steven Feinstein, Russel Savadier, Omphile Molusi and Peter Terrey.
Sources
Inskip, 1972. p.124.
http://www.maynardville.co.za/pages/archive.php
Inskip, 1972.
USAT theatre programme, May 1969.
Theatre programmes, 1977, 1990.
NELM: [Collection: SNEDDON, Elizabeth]: 2007. 11. 8. 3 (Theatre Workshop 1976 production).
Martin 2008. p.58. (PACT 1971 production).
Go to ESAT Bibliography
Return to
Return to M in Plays II Foreign Plays
Return to South_African_Theatre/Plays
Return to The ESAT Entries
Return to Main Page
